Pawlenty rips on "Drill Baby Drill" mantra

Gov. Tim Pawlenty took a couple hits at his Republican colleagues today at the Republican governors convention in Florida, according to the St. Petersburg Times. What's he trying to do for his future prospects? Distance and distinguish.

He said Republicans need to take a larger approach to energy with wind, geothermal biomass and solar options on the table. Here is his speech jab at fellow Gov. Sarah Palin:

"'Drill, baby, drill' is not an energy policy. We need more than that," Pawlenty said.

Ouch. Although the media is characterizing it as a hit at Palin, she wasn't the first to say it. According to the Wall Street Journal:

Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, launched the line, prompting howls of approval from the crowd. Rudolph Guiliani, the former New York mayor, repeated it, if almost as an afterthought. And Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, echoed the sentiment, to even louder cheers of the crowd.

During Palin's speech, the crowd could hardly contain itself, chanting "drill baby drill" and often interrupting her sentences.

Pawlenty also led a really tough life as a kid, in case you weren't aware. This from St. Pete Times:

As a boy, Tim Pawlenty handed out campaign brochures "and got spat on by hippies," he said.

Poor guy! Now he's got the quintessential campaign story to tell over and over and over again on the presidential trail.